A JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICER HAS HIS HANDS FULL. THIS PHOTO OF HIM IN FULL UNIFORM GRABBING A WOMAN GOES VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND CAUSES A STIR IN THE COMMUNITY. I MEAN, THAT LOOKS PRETTY BAD. LOOKS LIKE THE OFFICER IS GROPING THE GIRL. IT'S ONE THING TO ENJOY TIME WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND BUT ANOTHER TO DO IT ON THE CITY'S DIME, YOU KNOW. THE WOMAN WHO SAYS SHE TOOK THE PROVOCATIVE PICTURE TALKED TO CHANNEL 4. YOU ARE AN OFFICER. YOU ARE A PART OF THE LAW, WHETHER YOU ARE ON DUTY OR OFF DUTY. YOU HAVE A CONDUCT TO UP HOLD TO THE PUBLIC. WHEN WE FIRST POSTED THAT PICTURE ON NEWS4JAX.COM FACEBOOK PAGE EARLIER TODAY, MANY OF YOU HAD TOUGH QUESTIONS FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. SO WE ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. THE PICTURE WAS SNAPPED JUST OUTSIDE OF A DENNY'S ON BLANDING BOULEVARD YESTERDAY. ADRIENNE MOORE SPOKE WITH THE WOMAN WHO SAYS SHE TOOK IT. WITH WHAT SHE SAW AND HOW JSO IS RESPONDING. INITIALA THOMAS SAYS IT WAS LIKE CATCHING TWO TEENAGERS AT LOOKOUT POINT WITH FOGGED UP WINDOWS. SHE SAYS THIS OFFICER WAS NOT TRYING TO HIDE HIS PDA. THE JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS CONFIRMED THAT THE WOMAN SEEN IN THAT PICTURE WITH THE OFFICER IS, IN FACT, HIS GIRLFRIEND. E-MAIL AFTER E-MAIL WAS RECEIVED FROM CONCERNED VIEWERS ASKING CHANNEL 4 TO INVESTIGATE THIS PICTURE. YOU ARE ON TOP OF YOUR SQUAD CAR LIKE YOU ARE ABOVE THE LAW, LIKE YOU MADE THE LAW OR YOU OWN THE LAW. NISHA THOMAS SNAPPED THE PICTURE JUST BEFORE 6 ON MONDAY. THE UNIFORMED OFFICER WHO HAS NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED AS IRVING DIAZ WAS MORE THAN JUST HOT AND HEAVY WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME. KISSING, SMOOCHING, LIKE FRENCH KISSING. THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE KISS ON THE LIPS. THEY JUST NEEDED A BED TO FALL OUT OF THE SKY. RIDICULOUS. DID THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY SHARE THE SAME SENTIMENT. WE HIT THE STREETS TO FIND OUT. WHEN YOU'RE WEARING A UNIFORM OF AN OFFICER OF THE LAW, YOU ARE EXPECTING TO CONDUCT YOURSELF IN A CERTAIN MANNER. YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL. JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TOLD US THAT IS HIS GIRLFRIEND. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT. PRETTY UNPROFESSIONAL. I WOULD SAY I WOULDN'T EXPECT AN OFFICER TO BE DOING THAT IN A UNIFORM. LET ALONE NOT IN A POLICE CAR. IF HE WASN'T ON THE CLOCK, HE IS KISSING HIS GIRLFRIEND. I GUESS. BUT HE IS A COP. HE SHOULDN'T BE KISSING IN PUBLIC LIKE THIS. THIS STATEMENT RELEASED TO CHANNEL 4, WE LOOKING INTO THE MATTER TO DETERMINE IF ANY POLICIES OR PROCEDURES WERE VIOLATED. AND JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS NOT CONFIRMED FOR US TONIGHT IF, IN FACT, OFFICER DIAZ WAS OFF THE CLOCK WHEN THAT PHOTO WAS TAKEN. BUT A LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCE DOES TELL US IT IS VERY COMMON POLICY FOR OFFICERS NOT TO BE ALLOWED TO ENGAGE IN ANY TYPE OF PUBLIC SEXUAL PDA OF ANY KIND WHEN THEY ARE OUT IN THE FIELD. REPORTING LIVE TONIGHT, ADRIENNE MOORE, CHANNEL 4 THE LOCAL STATION. NO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION. WHAT DISCIPLINARY ACTION COULD OFFICER DIAZ FACE IF, IN FACT, HE WAS FOUND HE WAS BREAKING SOME DEPARTMENT RULE, ADRIENNE? IT REALLY DEPENDS ON EXACTLY WHAT THE INVESTIGATORS FIND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE. IT CAN GO ANYWHERE FROM A WRITTEN REPRIMAND OF SOME KIND TO SUSPENDED WITH OR WITHOUT PAY BUT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCE TELLS US THIS OFFICER WILL NOT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

An eyebrow-raising picture has a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office patrolman under scrutiny this week after he was photographed in uniform embracing a woman in a provocative way.

The picture was snapped just outside of a Denny’s restaurant on Blanding Boulevard Monday evening and made the rounds on social media on Tuesday.

Neshia Thomas, who said she took the photo, said it was like catching teenagers at lookout point with fogged up windows. But she said this officer, identified by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office as Officer Irving Diaz, wasn’t trying to hide his PDA.

JSO has confirmed that the woman Diaz was with is his girlfriend.

The photo was sent to News4Jax dozens of times by concerned viewers asking Channel 4 to investigate the picture.

“It’s one thing to enjoy time with your girlfriend, and it’s another to do it on the city’s dime, you know?” said Jacksonville resident Emily Wellstead. “When you’re wearing a uniform and an officer of the law, you're kind of expected to conduct yourself in a certain manner because you are a role model in the community.”

Thomas, who said she took the photo just before 6 p.m. Monday, said Diaz was more than just hot and heavy with his girlfriend.

“I mean kissing, smooching, like French kissing. Not a simple kiss on the lips,” Thomas said. “All they needed was a bed to fall out of the sky. It was just ridiculous.

“You were on top of the squad car like you were above the law, like you made the law, like you own the law,” Thomas said. "You are a part of the law. Whether you are off duty or on duty. You have a conduct to uphold to the public.”

Lauri-Ellen Smith, special assistant to the sheriff, responded with this statement after the photo was sent to JSO: "We are looking into the matter to determine if any policies or procedures were violated."

JSO has not confirmed if Diaz was “off the clock” at the time the photo was taken, but a law enforcement source told Channel 4 that it’s common policy that officers are not supposed to be engaging in any type of public sexual displays of affection.

If Diaz were to face disciplinary action, he could possibly be suspended with or without pay or receive a written reprimand, but Channel 4's law enforcement source does not believe Diaz will lose his job over the incident.

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